KUALA LUMPUR: The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid Season Cup (MSC) final was a true test of mental strength for Selangor Red Giants, says their coach Michael Angelo Bocado.
Red Giants held their nerve to upset current world champions Falcons AP.Bren of the Philippines 4-3 in a nail biting best-of-seven game final which went down to the wire in Riyadh yesterday.
It was a historic win for Red Giants as it made them the first Malaysian side to win a major international MLBB title.
Michael Angelo, better known by his nickname Arcadia, said maintaining composure and remaining laser focused was the key to winning the match.
"A best-of-seven match is basically a mental battle," said Arcadia yesterday.
"We had to make sure we stayed composed, in the zone and focused. We also had to be laser sharp and execute our plan game by game.
"There is no secret (to our success) really, it is just all the cliche things such as hard work, perseverence, having strong bonding between the team members, always being there for each other and making sure we were strong mentally."
Arcadia added that it was a meaningful win for the team and their support system who had put in the hard yards behind the scenes to make it possible.
"This win means everything to us, we worked really hard for this," said Arcadia.
"We are really thankful to everyone who has supported us and made this possible.
"I cannot put into words how happy we are, sometimes I don't think this is real."
Red Giants pocketed a mouth watering US$1 million (RM4.66 million) for the win while AP.Bren took home US$500,000 (RM2.33 million) for their efforts.
MSC, which is part of the Esports World Cup line-up, offered a lucrative US$3 million (RM14.1 million) prize purse.